Plow type mining machine with pivotable cutting members



Sept. 25, 1956 J. c. KRAPELS- 1 2,

PLOW TYPE MINING MACHINE WITH, PIVOTABLE CUTTING MEMBERS Filed March 18,1955

Fg J.

11 13 I 12 10 z I je fi 9 8 E $5M i I: ,1415 M/mp rm -1 12 I J i H 1.3 16' INVENTOR JOHA/V/VES (:IKRA PELS uZw flag/"MW ATTORNEY PLOW TYPE MINING MACHINE WITH PIVOTABLE CUTTING MEMBERS .lohannes G. Krapels, Geleen, Netherlands, assignor to Stamicarbon N. V., Heerlen, Netherlands Application March 18, 1955, Serial No. 495,243 1 Claims priority, application Netherlands March 24, 1954 Claims. (Cl. 262-8) The present invention relates to a machine for the mechanical mining of coal or other mineral and, more particularly, to a new improved machine such as a mineral plow having cutting members at both ends of its body and adapted to be hauled first in one direction and then in another direction along a mine face so as to peel the coal or other mineral from the mine face during both directions of travel.

Heretofore such machines for mechanical mining of coal or other mineral have been provided with end cutting members on a holder, the holder being pivoted-to the body of the machine at a midpoint between its ends. In this arrangement, it is desirable for the holder to pivot through a small angle at the beginning of each cutting stroke and because of the cutting resistance of the mineral being mined, this often occurs. If the holder pivots, the trailing cutting member moves free of the mine face so as to eliminate increased resistance of movement and undue wear of the machine.

However, the arrangement just previously described is not applicable with all mining machines of the plow type because the leading cutting member, which is pressed into the mine face, is opposed by a reaction to the lateral force with which the cutter is pressed against the mine face, and such reaction on the cutting member is sometimes greater than the direct force of cutting resistance. In other words, the moments developed due to the lateral force and the direct force of cutting resistance will depend largely on the normal distances between the holder pivot and the aforementioned lateral force and direct force of cutting resistance. In small machines it is not easy to make the distance between the holder pivot and the line of action of the force of cutting resistance sufiiciently large to insure that the moment caused by the direct force of cutting resistance will be sufiicient to maintain the holder pivoted or turned with the leading cutting members pressed into the mine face. Often times the moment of the lateral force will be greater than the moment caused by the direct force of cutting resistance and, thus, the holder of the cutting members will not pivot.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved mechanical mining machine wherein the connection between the holder for the cutting members and the body of the machine is such that it may be applied to machines of small dimensions.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mining machine having an improved connection between the holder for the cutting members and the body of the machine, the connection being such that the holder will pivot slightly under all conditions of cutting.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a mining machine in which the resistance in the movement of the machine and the wear of the cutting members are not increased by the trailing cutting members moving in close contact relationship along the mine face.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a mining machine in which the trailing cutting members lice are moved clear of the mine face even with a small displacement of the leading cutting members.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a mining machine in which the holder for the cutting members is limited in movement thereby eliminating force on the mechanism connecting the holder to the body of the machine.

These and other objects of the present invention will appear more fully from the following specification, claims and drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the mining machine of the present invention disclosing the mineral cutting and mineral removing conveyor assemy;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the mining machine looking from the left of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view having parts in section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2, the mineral removing conveyor being eliminated for purposes of clarity; and

Figure 4 is a diagrammatical representation of the forces and moments acting on the holder for the cut-ting members.

Referring now in detail to the drawings wherein like character or reference numerals represent like or similar parts, the mining machine of the present invention includes a coal or mineral plow generally indicated at 1, and a coal or mineral take-off conveyor generally indicated at 2. Flow 1, which includes a frame or body 3, is provided with rearwardly extending spaced portions 4 and 5 adapted to cooperate with a guide rail 6 carried by conveyor 2. By having plow 1 so mounted on conveyor 2, the plow can reciprocate back and forth along the guide rail 6 in order to shave the mineral from the mine face as will be subsequently described.

Mineral take-off conveyor 2 preferably includes two spaced side walls 7 and 8 connected at their midportions by a horizontal plate 9 defining an upper and lower trough. As shown in Figure 1, guide rail 6 is secured to conveyor 2 longitudinally along wall 7. Mineral deposited in the upper trough may be transported away from the machine by suitable scraper blades 10 which are attached to an endless chain or belt 11. The lower trough is utilized for the return of the lower run of scraper blades 10.

In order to reciprocate plow 1 with respect to conveyor 2 along its guide rail 6, suitable cables 12 are attached to the frame 3 of the plow and are operated in any conventional manner such as by winches (not shown). Attached to the frame 3 of plow 1 by means of two pairs of pivoted links 14 and 15 is a blade holder 13. The blade holder 13 has at each of its ends the cutting tools or blades 20 and 21 respectively. Referring specifically to Figure 3, it will be noted that the distance between pivot pins 16 and 17 on frame 3 is less than the distance between pivot pins 18 and 19 on holder 13. Consequently, a point of intersection S (Figure 4) of the lines prolonging the links 14 and 15 is outside of the machine on the side thereof remote from holder 13 and the mine face.

As previously mentioned, holder 13 is equipped at its ends with cutting tools or blades 20 and 21, the blades being adapted to cut or peel the mineral from along the face of the mine when frame 3 is pulled in the proper direction by the cables 12.

Referring now to Figure 4, when the plow 1 is hauled along the face of the mine in the direction of the arrow by means of the hauling cable, the foremost blades Ztl are subjected to a direct force of cutting resistance W. This resistance will tend to turn the holder 13, the leading end of the holder moving in an are about pivot pin 16 while the trailing end of the holder is moving in an are about the pivot pin 17. Such movement of the holder causes the leading or foremost blades 20 to penetrate 3 deeper into the mine face whereas the trailing blades 21 move clear of the mine face and, thus, do not drag or have any unnecessary wear along the mine face.

Turning of the holder 13 about pivot pins 16 and 17 is opposed by a reaction force R, caused by the lateral force with which the cutting blades 2%) bear against the mine face. Thus, the turning of holder 13 thereby pressing blades 20 into the mineral depends on the relative magnitude of the moments or couples exerted on the holder by the direct force of cutting resistance W and the lateral or reaction force R.

In a plow constructed in accordance with the present invention, the moments or couples which act on the holder 13 are WXa and RXc. However, because of the arrangement of the pivots 16 and 1'7 to the pivots 18 and 19 respectively, the holder 13 will effectively pivot about the point of intersection S of the lines prolonging the links 14 and 15. In other words, the establishment of an effective pivot point S sets up the following relationship between the various moment arms of the pivot points 16 and S.

From the above proportion, it will be observed that c is equal to ab L and substituting this value into the equation W a=R c, the effective moments or couples on the holder will be WXL and RXb.

It will be observed from the diagrammatic representation of forces disclosed in Figure 4 that the moment WXL will be large even with a small direct force of cutting resistance W. On the other hand, the reaction or lateral force R, which is normally less than W, will also have a smaller moment arm b than the moment arm L. By having such an arrangement as just previously described, the trailing blades 21 are immediately lifted clear of the mine face even with a very small displacement of the leading blades 20. The holder pivoted in accordance with the present invention will lift the trailing blades 21 clear of the mineral even with a small displacement of the leading blades 29 as clearly shown in dotted lines in Figure 4.

Frame 3 of plow 1 carries a rigid stop member 23 which is adapted to abut against a pair of longitudinally spaced stop members 24 on holder 13. When the plow advances, the cutting resistance transmitted to frame 3 is first through the links 14 and 15. However, when the stop 23 engages one or the other of the stops 2 depending on the direction of travel of plow 1, the cutting forces are transmitted to the frame 3 through the stops 23 and Z4- and, thus, links 14 and 15 are not subjected to excessive cutting forces. It is, of course, within the scope of the present invention that stop 23 could be provided on holder 13 instead of frame 3 and the cooperating stops 24- being formed as a recess in the frame 3.

The terminology used in the specification is for the purpose of description and not for limitation, the scope of invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine for mechanical mining of a mineral from a mine face, a plow member movable along the mine face, said plow member including a frame and an elongated holder with one of its sides next to the mine face and having a cutting member on at least one of its ends, and pivot links connecting said holder to said frame, said pivot links being spaced longitudinally of said plow member and having their respective pivot points located on lines diverging toward the side of said holder next to the mine face whereby the trailing end of said holder during a cutting stroke will be displaced away from said mine face.

2. In a machine for the mechanical mining of a mineral from a mine face, a plow member movable along the mine face, said plow member including a frame and an elongated holder having one of its sides next to the mine face and a cutting member on at least one of its ends, a pair of pivot links connecting said holder to said frame, said pivot links being spaced longitudinally of said plow member and being so disposed with respect to said plow member that their pivot points on said holder are spaced further apart than their pivot points on said frame whereby the trailing end of said holder during a cutting stroke will be displaced away from said mine face.

3. In a machine for mechanical mining of a mineral from a mine face, a plow member movable back and forth along the mine face, said plow member including a frame and an elongated holder with one of its sides next to the mine face and cutting members on each of its ends, a pair of pivot links connecting said holder to said frame, said pivot links being spaced longitudinally of said plow member and having their pivot points on said holder in advance and to the rear respectively of their pivot points on said frame during a cutting stroke of said plow in either direction whereby the trailing end of said holder will be displaced away from said mine face.

4. In a machine for mechanical mining of a mineral from a mine face, a plow member movable back and forth along the mine face, said plow member including a frame and an elongated holder with one of its sides next to the mine face and cutting members on each of its ends, a pair of pivot links connecting said holder to said frame, said pivot links being spaced longitudinally of said plow member and having their pivot points on said holder in advance and to the rear respectively of their pivot points on said frame during a cutting stroke of said plow in either direction whereby the trailing end of said holder will be displayed away from said mine face, and means for 1iniit ing the displacement of said holder and relieving forces on said links transmitted during the cutting stroke.

5. A machine of the character described in claim 4 wherein said last-mentioned mean-s include cooperating rigid stop members on said holder and said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,085,756 Joy July 6, 1937 2,691,514 Lobbe Oct. 12, 1954 2,699,930 Lobbe Jan. 18, 1955 

